President Rodrigo Duterte will not meddle in the feud between leaders and expelled members of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party, Malacañang said on Thursday. A Mindanao-based group, whose members claimed to be from PDP-Laban, gathered on Wednesday at the Quezon City Memorial Circle and criticized House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the party’s secretary-general. Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said Duterte, who serves as party chair, would not interfere with the squabble. The Palace official hopes the issue between PDP-Laban members would be “threshed out in due course.”“So the question is: Does the President know about these gripes? But the President has full trust and confidence in Senate President Pimentel, Speakers Alvarez and Secretary Cusi,” he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 01, 2018 09:56 UTC